Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the eighth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973. It is regarded by many as his greatest effort. In 2003, the album was ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was recorded at the Château d'Hérouville, where he had previously recorded Honky Chateau and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The amount of material was such that Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released as a double album, his first.
In addition to the three successful singles released from this album (see below), many other cuts received substantial airplay at AOR stations when it was released, including "Harmony," the 11 minute epic, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," and his Marilyn Monroe tribute, "Candle in the Wind."
Track listing
All songs written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John.Disc one
LP side one
- "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" – 11:08
- "Candle in the Wind" – 3:41
- "Bennie and the Jets" – 5:23
LP side two
- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – 3:14
- "This Song Has No Title" – 2:23
- "Grey Seal" – 3:58
- "Jamaica Jerk Off" – 3:39
- "I've Seen That Movie Too" – 5:59
Disc two
LP side three
- "Sweet Painted Lady" – 3:52
- "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34)" – 4:24
- "Dirty Little Girl" – 5:01
- "All the Girls Love Alice" – 5:08
LP side four
- "Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)" – 2:42
- "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – 4:54
- "Roy Rogers" – 4:08
- "Social Disease" – 3:44
- "Harmony" – 2:45
Bonus tracks
- "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" – 2:51
- "Jack Rabbit" – 1:52
- "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" - 4:44
- "Candle in the Wind [Acoustic Version] " – 3:51
- These songs appear only on the 30th anniversary two-disc 2003 deluxe hybrid SACD remaster of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Personnel
- Elton John – organ, piano, keyboard, electric piano, vocals, mellotron, farfisa organ
- Davey Johnstone – synthesizer, acoustic guitar, guitar, electric guitar, vocals, background vocals, slide guitar, Leslie guitar
- Dee Murray – bass, background vocals
- Nigel Olsson – conga, drums, tambourine, background vocals
Additional personnel
- Ray Cooper – percussion, tambourine
- Kiki Dee – background vocals
- Leroy Gomez – saxophone
- David Hentschel – synthesizer, keyboard
- David Katz – violin
- Del Newman – orchestra
- Prince Rhino – speaker
Production
- Producer: Gus Dudgeon
- Engineer: David Hentschel
- Assistant engineers: Peter Kelsey, Andy Scott
- Tape operator: Barry Sage
- Orchestra contractor: David Katz
- Arranger: Del Newman
- Art direction: David Larkham, Michael Ross
- Artwork: David Larkham, Michael Ross, [Ian Beck]
- Liner notes: Gus Dudgeon, John Tobler
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Billboard Pop Albums | 1 |
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 114 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 |
| 1973 | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Billboard Pop Singles | 2 |
| 1974 | "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" | Billboard Pop Singles | 12 |
| 1974 | "Bennie and The Jets" | Billboard Pop Singles | 1 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | October 1 1973 |
| RIAA – USA | Gold | October 12 1973 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | February 1 1975 |
| RIAA – USA | Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | Double Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | Triple Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 4X Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 5X Platinum | March 23 1993 |
| RIAA – USA | 6X Platinum | September 11 1995 |
| RIAA – USA | 7X Platinum | August 26 1998 |
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